Labour suspends planned picketing of ministry, budget office

Stories by Moses John
Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have put on hold plans to picket the Ministry of Finance and budget office over unsettled allowances owed their members following the on-going talks between government and the Labour on the issue.
NLC and TUC had earlier threatened to picket the two ministries, because allowances like Promotion, leave and others have not been paid since 2007 to date.

President of the TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, who made the disclosure in Abuja, after a meeting with the workers, said the arrears of the allowances is over N200bn.
Kaigama, who is also the National President of Association of Senior Civil Servants (ASCSN), said the action would be in collaboration with the NLC as a way of bringing succour to the civil servants.
According to Kaigama, the picketing is the first step after which the Labour movement would declare a national strike on the matter.
“I will lead the picketing alongside my brother in the NLC because these things have taken so long. The demand for the payment of arrears for promotions and other allowances of our members is stated since when the president was sworn in.

“We wrote him and he responded positively and directed the office of the Head of Service to talk to us and work out details through the MDAs level, after which submission was made to the office of the Head of Service, and it was later presented to the government, part of it was capture in the 2016 budget.
“But When the budget was pass by the National Assembly, we were hopeful but till the end of the year, no worker was given a dim. When we raised the issue, they also promise that there is a virement before the National Assembly and that once it is approved, workers would be given their allowances. But that too came and we now being told that is only capital projects that it can accommodate.”

Speaking further, he said, “We are saying enough is enough, therefore we are going to picket where we know the problem is because we know that Mr President has directed, where the challenge is now is Finance and Budget we will picket these two offices”.
On the action of workers during the 2017 May Day celebration, the TUC scribe said, “we have been vindicated, because we told government that there is a problem and if that is not addressed urgently, a time would come that even we the leaders will not be able to control their anger”.
Speaking earlier, the secretary, FCT NLC, Comrade Ojemhenka Isaac, said most workers who were at the Eagle Square, came to vent their anger, and not to celebrate May Day.
He said the workers are demanding for the payment of arrears of salaries, promotion, BTA, first 28 days, repatriation, death benefits and many others.

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